Reconnecting
by Morganperidot
Summary: Takes place about a month after the season 3 finale. Avery goes to Juliette's tour stop in Dallas, and the story continues.
1. Chapter 1

Reconnecting

By Morganperidot

1.

On the flight to Dallas, Avery watched the video again. He had somehow thought that it wasn't possible for him to hurt any more than he already did, but seeing that video for the first time had proven just how wrong an assumption that had been. It was one of those trashy tabloid news sites that he would have never looked at, but Juliette's manager, Glenn, had sent him the link with no other words besides "Watch this." And so he had, and so he did again. He saw Juliette all glamorous and gorgeous stumbling on the stage, forgetting words, and then falling off stage onto a couple of startled security guards. Avery turned over his phone and closed his eyes. His stomach was sick, and he had a headache that felt like his brain was about to split apart. He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to find some peaceful ground in the turmoil. He thought about Cadence, their little girl, who hadn't really had a mother and now wouldn't have her father either, at least for a few days while he tried to do something to fix this.

Avery knew he had to talk to Juliette. He had to get her to see that this whirlwind of craziness wasn't right. Being a family hadn't worked, and being apart hadn't worked. All he had left was to wing it with her like he had when they were first coming together, try to recapture that lightening in a bottle, try to reconnect his heart with hers. He didn't know if that was possible, but knew he had to try, for her sake and for their baby's sake.

He took a cab from the airport to the hotel. Juliette hadn't been seriously injured in the fall off the stage, and Glenn had texted Avery that she was going to do the second of three Dallas shows that evening as planned. It was obvious from the video, but Avery had asked if she was drinking. The reply was only one word: Nonstop. Avery understood self-medication; he would be doing it himself if he didn't have Cadence. Despite spending some time reading about postpartum depression, Avery didn't really understand what Juliette was going through. He did understand pain though, and he understood wanting it to stop.

Glenn had given him the suite number, and Avery didn't bother calling Juliette to tell her he was coming. He knew she wouldn't want to see him and might not even talk to him if he were right there with her. He didn't care though; he was beyond caring whether she wanted to see or hear him. He needed to do this.

He pounded on the door until a security guard opened it. Avery recognized the man as someone who had been around when he was touring with Juliette. "Hi Sean," he said. "Is she here?"

"She's resting," Sean said.

"You mean she's passed out," Avery said. "Can I come in?"

"She said she didn't want to take any calls from you," Sean said.

"I'm not calling her, am I?" Avery said. Clearly Juliette hadn't expected him to just show up at a tour stop.

"No, but…"

"It's cool," Avery said quietly. "I promise you, the only one who is going to catch hell for this is me." He walked past Sean into the suite, then turned to face the man. "Look, give us a little time, OK?"

"Glenn said…"

"I'm sure he did," Avery said. "I've got this now." Sean hesitated for a moment longer, but then he just headed out shaking his head.

Avery closed the door and sighed. For a moment he just stood with his back against the door and pressed the heels of his hands to his closed eyes. His head still hurt despite the extra strength pain pills he had bought and taken in the airport. He slid down the door until he was sitting on the floor with his head against his knees. He sat there for a while, trying to gather together whatever internal shards of strength he still had scattered around inside of him. Finally he raised his head and pushed himself up from the ground. He had started crying again, but he wiped the tears away. That wasn't going to get him anywhere with Juliette. He knew that for sure.

He walked over to the bedroom and found her sprawled on the bed nearly naked. There was a whiskey bottle on the nightstand to the left of the bed. Avery walked over to it and picked it up, brought it to his lips and downed a couple swallows. The amber liquid burned his throat and stomach. He set the bottle back on the nightstand with a loud bang.

"What? Who?" Juliette mumbled. "Who the hell..." But then she saw him standing there. "What in the hell are you doing here?" she said. "Get out."

"I came to talk to you," Avery said. "But I can just as well finish off this bottle and whatever others you have here."

"So what is this?" Juliette said. "You're going to show me how bad I'm being? I don't need your sanctimonious BS."

"You know, that's a good thing, because I'm completely out of it," Avery said. He picked up the bottle and finished it off. The liquor took a little of the edge off his headache, and if nothing else, that was a relief.

"Where's the baby?" Juliette asked. "Do you have her in the other room to spring on me?"

"No, she's in Nashville, being looked after by normal people," Avery said.

"Unlike me," Juliette said. She got up off the bed and threw on a teal shirt over her black bra.

"Or me," Avery said.

"Right," Juliette said. "You. You are…"

"Just as messed up as you," Avery said. "Don't you think I want the stage, to get up there with the guitar and just tear it loose?"

"You don't want the spotlight…"

"No, but I want the rush," Avery said. He sat down on the bed. "I want to feel the music." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the bed. He could see it, walking out on stage and the way it felt to tear off that first riff of the night. The room fell silent, and Avery thought maybe Juliette had left. And he realized that part of him didn't care. Part of him didn't care about anything but the music he didn't have.

"She really isn't here," Juliette said. "You didn't bring her?"

Avery sat up. "I don't want to talk about that now," he said. "The show tonight, I want to play."

"OK," Juliette said. "I just don't understand…how you can be like this."

"I'm tired," Avery said. "I'm just tired of all of it. I've had a headache for like nine straight days. I can't think straight anymore. I just need to shut it all down, shut it out."

"I didn't want to hurt you, or the baby," Juliette said.

"I know," Avery said. They just looked at each other in silence. Avery didn't want to say it, but he did anyway, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Juliette said. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him. "Have you really had a headache for nine days?" she asked.

"Maybe nine hours," Avery said, "but it seems like days."

He was surprised to see Juliette smile. "You should drink some water," she said. "Alcohol isn't going to help."

"Wouldn't want you to have all the fun," Avery said. The text tone on his phone went off, and Avery pulled it out of his back pocket. Glenn was asking if he was still alive. Avery typed, "For now," and sent it.

Juliette handed him a bottle of water, and he accepted it. Then she took the phone out his hands and threw it on the floor. "I've got something that will take your mind off of that headache," she said.

"You have a lot of things…"

"Shut up, and take your clothes off," Juliette said.

Avery took a slug of the water and tossed the bottle on the floor. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

2.

"Avery, wake up, the show is in a half hour," Juliette said. She looked like a goddess in a tight, shiny black dress and glorious flowing blond hair.

Avery felt like he was underwater. "What show?" he asked.

"The one we're going to be late for if you don't get your butt dressed," she said, before smacking that same bare butt hard with her hand.

"Hey," Avery said. For a moment he didn't remember where he was or what had happened, but then the memory started to leak back into his brain cells. He got off the bed and got dressed, then picked up his phone off the floor, relieved to find it was still working. He texted the nanny, and she verified that Cadence was fine.

"Are you ready?" Juliette asked.

"Yeah," Avery said. "But I don't have my guitars…"

"I'm pretty sure we can find you some," Juliette said. "Let's go."

Onstage Juliette was on fire, and Avery made the borrowed ax wail like he hadn't in far too long. He released himself to the music, letting it soar higher and higher. It felt so good, and Juliette was so beautiful.

And the fire continued backstage in the dressing room with the two of them combining in an intimate explosion. Avery howled, and Juliette smiled and laughed. And Avery loved her so much it hurt.

Then it continued to hurt on the way back to the hotel in the limo when Juliette retreated from him and turned silent. Avery looked out the window. He knew the good part was over, and the storm was coming. "So what now?" Juliette said.

"I don't know," Avery said.

"I thought maybe you were going to have some guys grab me and throw me in the back of a van so I would go back to Nashville and stay at home in mom jeans with the baby strapped to me," she said.

Avery gazed out the window silently for a long moment. "I'll just go back," he said finally. He took in a breath and let it out. "I can get the divorce and take full custody of Cadence." He felt his own words like a dagger twisting in his heart, and fresh tears dripped silently from his eyes. "You won't have to be involved," he said.

"What?" Juliette said.

"It's OK," Avery said. He wiped away the tears. "It was a mistake. We just made a mistake."

"You mean we are the mistake, you and me together," Juliette said. "And Cadence was a mistake."

Avery looked at her, saw the gleaming redness in her eyes, the hurt in them. "No," he said. "She's beautiful. She's amazing, and I am so glad to have her."

"So then it's just me," Juliette said. "I'm the mistake."

"I love you so much," Avery said. "You are the most incredible woman I have ever known. But we…want different things. It's OK. It's going to be OK."

Juliette looked away from him. The car stopped at the hotel, and she got out. Avery watched her walk to the hotel and then disappear inside. He got out of the limo and took out his phone to check on Cadence. After he had done that he put the phone away – and just stood there looking at the hotel. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like there wasn't enough air in the world anymore. His ears were ringing from the show. Without thinking much about it he went into the hotel and found the bar, took a stool, and ordered whiskey. A couple of girls came in laughing, and one of them sat down next to him. Avery stood up and took his drink to a booth, where he leaned back, closed his eyes, and poured the liquor down his throat. He was about to signal for another when his phone rang.

He was stunned to see that the call was from Juliette. "Juliette?" he said.

"You know you're not perfect," she said.

"I know…"

"This is hard for me, all of this," she said. Avery was in shock, so he just waited. "To have a husband and a baby…I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do it. I know how to be Juliette Barnes, but I don't know who that other person is, that wife and mother. I don't know how to do that. It's so easy for you; everything is so easy for you."

"No," Avery said. "None of this is easy for me."

"You want to be rid of me because I don't fit into your mold of the perfect housewife," Juliette said.

Avery laughed despite the pain he felt. "God, Juliette, I've never wanted that," he said. "I know who you are. I've always loved who you are, even when you drove me straight out of my mind. I just want you to love our baby. And I…"

"Where are you?" Juliette asked.

"The hotel bar," Avery said.

"Come up," Juliette said. Avery was silent. It wasn't going to solve anything to fall into bed with her again. That had never been their problem. "Please," she said.

"OK," he said. Avery didn't know what he was doing anymore. He emptied the glass and went to the elevator. He felt emotionally raw, and he knew Juliette could easily destroy him. But he had glimmers of hope from what she was saying, and it didn't mean much to him that he might be deluding himself. The fact that she had reached out to him when he was absolutely certain it was really over this time was like a miracle. In the elevator he closed his eyes and prayed.

The door to her suite was ajar, and Avery pushed it open and then closed it behind him. Juliette was on the sofa with her feet tucked under her. She had changed into pink pajama pants and a white t-shirt, her face was washed, and her hair was pulled back. And she was so beautiful, even more so than before with all the glitz and glamor. Avery could feel himself memorizing how she looked, because it might be the last time he saw her like this. "Come here," she said softly. Avery walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Give me your phone." Avery knew it was probably a bad idea, but he did as she said.

Juliette didn't toss it or break it some other way; she just poked around on it for a few seconds and then stared at it. Avery moved closer and saw the picture of Cadence. He watched silently as she swiped through his many pictures of their daughter, stopping when she got to a picture of herself holding Cadence. "She's beautiful," Juliette said.

"You both are," Avery said.

Juliette touched the screen of the phone with her fingertips. "You want full custody?" she said.

"No," Avery said with certainty.

"I don't know how to be a mother," Juliette said.

"We'll figure it out," Avery said.

"What if I can't?" Juliette said. He saw her eyes fill with tears. "What if I don't know what to do?"

"You're Juliette Barnes," Avery said. "You can do anything."

Juliette looked at him and smiled briefly. "I'm scared," she whispered, like someone might overhear them and find out that Juliette Barnes wasn't always the tough woman she appeared to be.

"I'm scared too," Avery said. "This is all new to me."

"You're so good with her," Juliette said.

"I'm just doing what comes to me," Avery said. "But Cadence needs you too."

"I want to, I just…" Juliette trailed off, and Avery reached over and linked his fingers with hers. She touched his face with her other hand, her palm against his cheek. Avery closed his eyes. "I don't want to hurt her, or you," she said.

Avery brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "We can take care of each other," he said. "We'll get through this." He felt some of his peace returning, and he was grateful. "Do the shows and then come home," he said.

"You'll stay here tonight?" Juliette said.

"Yes," Avery said.

"And you'll be home when I get there," Juliette said, "you and Cadence?"

"Yes," Avery said.

"Thank you," Juliette said.

"I love you," Avery said, and he kissed his wife and held her close.


	2. Chapter 2

Reconnecting: Part 2

By Morganperidot

1.

"Avery? Earth to Avery?"

Avery snapped out of his distraction and looked at Gunnar Scott, who was looking back at him somewhat impatiently. The studio was quiet – hadn't they been listening to something? Then he remembered the song he was producing for Gunnar and how bad the playback had sounded. "I'm sorry, man," Avery said. "Cadence was cranky last night, and then Juliette called at 2 am from the last stop on the tour. I didn't get much sleep."

"It's cool," Gunnar said. "You need to take care of your family…"

"I screwed this up," Avery said. "I'll fix it."

"It's nothing," Gunnar said. "Don't worry about it." He stood up.

"It isn't nothing," Avery said. "The track is muddy going into the bridge and that drags under the vocals on the bridge. I'll fix it." He met Gunnar's gaze. "Unless you don't want me to."

"I'm just thinking if Juliette is coming in tonight you have more important things to do," Gunnar said. "We're cool. I get this. You have the right priorities…"

"Great, then take your crap song and get out of here," Avery said.

"Avery, I'm not…"

"I am," Avery said. "I listened to it. The second verse is derivative, and the chorus sounds like a teenager wrote it on a sugar high. Your guitar playing is too slow, and your pronunciation blows. Yes, the mix is not top notch, and I can fix that. But I can't fix the rest of it in the booth."

Gunnar stood there for a moment, and then sat back down. "The second verse…"

"Get me a guitar," Avery said.

It was getting late by the time they had finished the song and re-recorded it, Avery playing guitar and doing backing vocals as well as engineering the production. When they finally cracked a couple beers and listened to it, Avery relaxed. "That is really incredible," Gunnar said. "You'll get cowriter credit, of course."

"Thanks," Avery said. "But you don't have to do that. You had it most of the way there."

"You brought it home," Gunnar said. "That's what matters."

Home, Avery thought. He was supposed to meet Juliette at the airport. "Crap," he said. "What time is it?" He stood up and threw on his denim jacket.

Gunnar looked at his phone. "It's quarter to 7," he said. "What time does Juliette's plane get in?"

"A half hour ago," Avery said.

In his car, Avery took out his phone and saw that it was off; he remembered turning it off when he and Gunnar started writing together. He turned it on and was immediately bombarded with notifications for texts and calls from Juliette. "Crap," he said again. He pushed the return call button.

"Well, well, nice of you to get in contact," Juliette said.

"I'm sorry," Avery said. "Gunnar has this song for a charity album…"

"I'm certainly glad you had time for that," Juliette said.

"Where are you?" Avery asked.

"Well, I waited around the airport for a while, and then I got a limo," Juliette said. "So, now I'm on my way home."

"Juliette, I…"

"I'll see you back at the house," she said, and she hung up on him.

"Wonderful," Avery said, and he tossed his phone on the passenger seat. He brought the car to life with a roar and headed out of the parking lot.

2.

Avery got home first. He thanked the nanny, and after she left he stood looking at Cadence sleeping in her crib. The peacefulness of that moment slipped away a few minutes later when the front door opened and there was a crash of noise as bags hit the floor in the front hall. "Mommy's home," Avery said.

He found Juliette in the bedroom unpacking. "Hey," he said. "I lost track of time in the studio with Gunnar."

"I understood you on the phone," Juliette said.

"OK, fine," Avery said. "I'll be in the nursery if you do want to talk." He went back there, sat down, and closed his eyes, trying to keep his irritation from building.

A short while later he heard soft footsteps as Juliette walked into the room. "Hey, baby girl," she said.

Avery opened his eyes and saw Juliette standing at the crib. Her hair was pulled back and she wore a blue nightgown that ended just above her knees. She just stood looking at the baby, not touching her or trying to pick her up. Avery stood up. "She'll be awake in a few hours," he said. "She doesn't sleep long."

"OK," Juliette said. Then she turned and looked at him. "Come on," she said.

Avery followed her back to the bedroom. Their argument, whatever it was, hadn't been resolved, but Avery was dead tired, and he didn't care. He tossed his clothes on the floor and climbed into bed. Juliette got under the covers on the other side. After a long moment of silence she said, "I got worried when you didn't show up at the airport."

"I'm sorry," Avery said. "I was writing with Gunnar, and I turned the phone off."

"It's OK," Juliette said. "I just started to think that maybe you decided not to come."

Avery sighed, and then he reached out in the darkness to touch her. His fingertips found her arm, and he slid them along the soft skin to her hand. He laced his fingers with hers. "I wouldn't do that," he said.

"There are things we need to talk about," Juliette said.

"Not right now," Avery said. "Right now I just want to hold you."

Juliette touched his cheek with her hand, and then they kissed. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," Avery said. She moved up against him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

3.

Cadence's cries woke Avery to sudden alertness. Next to him, Juliette mumbled, "What?"

"I'll go," Avery said, as he slid away from Juliette and off the bed. He went to the nursery, where he took care of Cadence's needs. He didn't expect any miracles from Juliette, and he wasn't going to push her. He could handle this without throwing her into it in the middle of the night as soon as she got back from a tour. He held Cadence in his arms. He had been humming, and as she relaxed against him he began to softly sing a new lullaby he had written for her.

He was about to put a sleepy Cadence back to bed when he saw Juliette standing in the doorway, tears shining in her eyes. "What?" Avery said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Juliette said. She put a hand over his on the baby and kissed his cheek. Cadence reached out for her with her tiny hand, and Juliette touched it gently with her fingers.

"You want to hold her?" Avery asked.

"I…" Juliette said, but she just stopped and looked at Cadence. "I'm not sure."

"I'm right here," Avery said. "Everything's going to be OK." He looked down at Cadence and just let the silence descend gently.

Juliette took a step closer. She touched his hair, and Avery released the breath he was holding. "OK, let me try," she said. She put her arms under his, and he slowly released Cadence to her. "She's heavy," Juliette said, after he took a step back.

"Yeah," Avery said. "She has a healthy appetite."

"Hey, Cadence," Juliette cooed. "How's momma's little girl?" Cadence gurgled in reply and reached for the end of Juliette's ponytail that was draped over her left shoulder. "You want that, huh?" She looked at Avery. "Could you take out the tie?" she asked him.

"Are you sure that…"

"Yes," Juliette said. Avery walked over and slid the tie out of her hair. Her blond hair fell forward toward Cadence, and the baby grabbed some of it and tugged. "You're a little rascal aren't you?" Juliette said. "Just like your momma and daddy."

"She's going to be trouble," Avery said quietly.

"Of course she is," Juliette said. She met his gaze. "She's ours." A little while later she put the baby down in the crib to sleep, and Avery went with her to the bedroom, where he sat down on the end of the bed.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm OK," Juliette said. "I'm still a little shaky, but you being there helped."

"Good," Avery said. She looked tired and worried and beautiful all at once.

"You have to teach me that song you were singing to her," Juliette said.

"That's just something I threw together," Avery said.

Juliette sat down beside him. "Don't do that," she said.

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Do what?" he asked.

"That humble thing," Juliette said. "We both know how good you are."

Avery laughed. "OK, I don't want to argue about that," he said.

Juliette smiled. "Good choice," she said. She put her hand on his leg. "How tired are you?"

Avery was still dead tired and could have easily curled up and slept for a week, but he wasn't going to take a pass on that invitation. "Try me," he said, and Juliette smiled.

4.

"Damn it, Jeff…" Juliette's voice spitting out that name slid into the soft tissue of Avery's sleepy brain like an ice pick. He got off the bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a button-down blue shirt, not bothering to button the shirt before he left the bedroom. When he saw Juliette on the phone, he was relieved that at least Jeff Fordham wasn't in their house.

Avery tuned out Juliette's conversation as best he could and went to look in on Cadence. She was so adorable that he just thanked God that Juliette's "mistake" with Jeff hadn't destroyed his opportunity to know his daughter. He scooped her up in his arms and started to sing to her, mostly trying to soothe himself.

"Avery!" Juliette called out.

"In the nursery," Avery said. He set Cadence back in her crib as Juliette walked over to him.

"She's OK?" Juliette asked.

"Yeah," Avery said. He looked at Juliette. "I'm not discussing Jeff Fordham. I don't care what he did."

"You don't care?" Juliette said. Avery knew where this discussion was headed, and he didn't want it happening around Cadence. He took Juliette's arm and steered her out of the nursery to the living room area.

"You invited the biggest piece of human trash on this planet back into our lives, not me," Avery said, speaking as softly as he could. "I am not getting involved in whatever damage he…"

"You would rather he just get away with..."

"After all the things he's done to us, I would rather he were dead in the ground," Avery said darkly, surprised by the depth of his own anger. He walked away to the kitchen. After a moment, Juliette followed him. Avery put his hands on the kitchen counter and stood there with his back to her. "I'm telling you, Juliette, just leave me out of this…"

"You're my husband," Juliette said. "Do you really want me to leave you out of things?"

Avery didn't respond. His fury was on fire just thinking about Jeff Fordham – the man who had sex with Juliette when she was drunk and pregnant with Avery's child; the man who had set her up with a new label and tour when she should have been bonding with their newborn daughter. All Avery could see was red. "You really don't get it do you?" he said. He turned around. "To you everything in this business is on a level playing field. He tore us apart, nearly destroyed us, and you could still go to him because he was the only one who would make things turn out the way you wanted."

Juliette was about to respond when the nanny walked in. The woman stopped her progress toward the nursery when she saw Juliette. Avery felt like just walking out of the room, but the nanny didn't deserve that. "Karen, this is Cadence's mother, Juliette Barnes," he said, stating the name distinctly, so there was no mistaking whether Juliette was to be addressed as "Mrs. Barkley".

"Nice to meet you," the slim, dark-haired woman said, extending her hand.

Juliette grasped Karen's hand briefly. "Thank you looking after Cadence," she said.

"It's my pleasure," Karen said. Clearly noting the tension in the room, she said, "I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll go check on Cadence." She turned and headed out of the room.

Avery buttoned his shirt and got his jacket from where it was lying on a chair. "So, you're just going to leave?" Juliette said.

"I have to go to the studio," Avery said. "I'm producing Will's song for the charity album today." He picked up his bag.

"And what about…"

"If you want to play games with Jeff Fordham, that's your business," Avery said. He walked to the front door and out of the house, closing the door quietly behind him.

5.

Avery left his phone on in the studio, but it didn't ring. He put Juliette and her issue with Jeff as far out of his mind as he could and tried to focus on what he was doing. Will's song was OK; the emotion was there, but the imagery of it was fairly pedestrian. His tone was good, and Avery was able to improve the arrangement he brought. It wasn't magic by the time they were done, but it sounded good enough. And that was about as close to perfect as Avery was going to come with the poison of Jeff Fordham's name circulating in his blood.

Afterward Avery went to the Bluebird, where he had a beer and played guitar on a couple songs for some guys he knew who were performing. When he looked again, there were still no calls. Avery knew that Juliette could handle Jeff. He also knew that he had screwed up like he always did when Juliette's actions made him crazy. He shouldn't have walked away; that was a cop-out. But she didn't seem to care that involving Jeff in their lives made Avery especially crazy.

Outside the Bluebird, Avery took in a deep breath and released it into the night air. He knew how Juliette was and that Juliette's number one priority was almost always herself. Because he knew where she came from and how hard she had fought to get where she was he understood that, but sometimes it still hurt when she put herself ahead of them. Sometimes he wanted her to love him the same way he loved her.

When Avery got home he went straight to the nursery – and found Juliette there with Cadence on her lap. The sight surprised him and gave him a ping of pure joy. Juliette met his gaze but didn't say anything. Avery walked over to her and bent down to kiss Cadence on the forehead. He paused for a moment and then walked out of the room.

He went to the kitchen and got a couple of slices of leftover pizza and a can of soda out of the refrigerator. He wasn't really that hungry, but he hadn't eaten anything all day other than half of one of the sandwiches that catering had brought in to the studio, which hadn't been at all satisfying.

He heard Juliette's approach, but he didn't look at her. "Where have you been?" she asked. Avery didn't answer. He popped open the soda can. "Avery…"

"What happened with Jeff?" Avery asked, wanting to get through that first.

"I slept with him, and then he agreed to what I wanted," Juliette said.

Avery turned and looked at her standing there in a lavender robe and nightgown, her hair hanging loose. His love surged inside of him; he had no doubt that what she had said wasn't true. "What do you want me to do with that?" he asked.

"I want you to tell me if that is what you think of me," Juliette said.

"No," Avery said.

"Tell me the truth," Juliette said. "You think I'm the type of trailer trash that would do that."

"I think you are selfish and self-centered and arrogant and that you do some incredibly stupid things for short-term rewards without thinking about the long-term repercussions," Avery said.

Juliette parted her lips for the comeback, and he braced himself for the blow – but it didn't come. She just turned and walked to the bedroom. Avery was surprised by the reprieve, and he was grateful. He left the cold pizza and soda and followed her. She was sitting on the bed, and he stood in the doorway. "I went to the Bluebird," he said.

"Was Scarlett there?" Juliette asked.

"I wasn't looking for Scarlett," Avery said, and he was a bit surprised she was still concerned about his ex-girlfriend.

"What were you looking for?" Juliette asked.

"Atmosphere and music," Avery said, "and a beer."

"Was it that bad with Will?" Juliette asked.

"He sounds great, but the song isn't…" He looked at Juliette. "And you don't want to hear about that do you?" he asked.

"No," Juliette said. "But I'm sure he sounds the best he can with you producing him."

"I tried," Avery said. He let out a breath. "So, tell me about Jeff."

"We don't have to do that," Juliette said.

"Did you fix it?" Avery asked.

"I tried, but he has this contract that I signed, and it's just a mess," Juliette said. She rubbed her face with her hands. "You know, it's one of those incredibly stupid things I did for short-term rewards."

Avery walked over to the bed and sat beside her. "I shouldn't have said that," he said.

"No, you were right," Juliette said. "I opened that door. I brought Jeff back in. I knew it was the wrong thing, but I had to do it. I had to get a new label and get on the road. I convinced myself that was all that mattered. No, I had to make it all that mattered, or I wouldn't be able to do it. I had to shut everything else out."

"You had to shut me out," Avery said, "and Cadence."

"I'm sorry," Juliette said. The tears that he had been holding back slid out of Avery's eyes. "Please don't," Juliette said. "Avery, please." She put her hand around his, and he held onto it.

"We worked so hard when you were pregnant to make this right," Avery said. "And then…" Juliette squeezed his hand, and he looked at her. The look in her eyes was of someone who was afraid that if he let go she would slip away and fall into the darkness.

"Please don't leave me again," she said. "Please, don't."

Avery forced himself to breathe. He knew he was just as close to falling into that dark abyss. "I won't," he said.

"I couldn't..."

"I won't," Avery said. "I won't leave. Don't you know that I have never wanted to?"

"I know you love me," Juliette said. "But sometimes that isn't enough."

"And sometimes it is," Avery said. When Juliette continued to tightly grip his hand, he looked at her. "It is enough, Juliette," he said.

She released her grip on his hand and pulled him into an embrace. "Remember when I told you that you are way too sensitive?" she said.

"Well, I am just another guy on the payroll," Avery said, referring to their exchange at the time.

"You've never been 'just' anything," Juliette said.

"Thank you," Avery said.

"You're welcome," Juliette replied.

Avery let out a deep sigh. "OK, so that's done," he said.

Juliette laughed. "Yeah?" she said.

"Yeah," Avery said. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you for holding on to me."

"Thank you," Juliette said.

"So, something about a contract with Jeff," Avery said.

"We really don't have to do that right now," Juliette said.

"He's not taking anything from us," Avery said. "Not ever again."

"We'll talk about it in the morning," Juliette said. "Right now it's just us, OK?"

"OK," Avery said.

Juliette moved onto his lap and then put her hands on his face and kissed him. "I'm pretty sure you know this," she said as she undid the buttons on his shirt. When his shirt was open, she slid her hands down his chest and around to his back. "But I want you to hear it anyway." She brought her lips to his ear and whispered, "No part of him comes close to measuring up to yours."

Avery smiled. He had no doubt about that either.


	3. Chapter 3

Reconnecting: Part 3

By Morganperidot

1.

His eyes still closed, Avery stretched out on the bed. He felt a hand on his bare chest, and he smiled. "You better be gone before my wife gets back," he purred.

Juliette slid the hand over his chest. "You better not, ever, let another woman touch you like this," she said.

Avery opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face so close to his, hair hanging loose, her eyes and skin naturally glowing. He wasn't foolish enough to ask her what would happen if he did. "I won't," he said. "I'm yours for better or for worse."

"I think we've had enough of that second part," Juliette said.

"Me too," Avery said. He reached out for her and kissed her as she shifted closer to him. He slid his hand into her hair. "I love you so much," he said.

Juliette kissed his jaw and then his neck. Avery closed his eyes again as she entwined with him and whispered into his ear, "I love you too, Avery Barkley."

2.

Later Avery was making breakfast at the stove in the kitchen, dressed comfortably in a soft gray t-shirt and blue jeans. He was juggling making scrambled eggs and pancakes at the same time, with moderate success at both. When he heard Juliette's footsteps behind him, he asked about Cadence, "How is she?"

"Good," Juliette said. "You know, we could hire someone to cook."

"I know," Avery said, not pursing that further. Instead he piled the food on plates and brought it over to the table. Juliette brought over two cups of coffee, and Avery took the moment to admire how good she looked in the tight, short dark purple dress she wore. They both sat down, neither one of them talking, and Avery was OK with that, for the moment, because he found himself surprisingly happy with how things were.

"What's left on that charity album?" Juliette asked.

"There are a couple tracks to lay down yet," Avery said. He looked at her and saw how she wasn't looking at him. "I've said this before," he said. "There's room for another track of you want to do one."

"I might be interested in doing a song if you would do it with me," Juliette said.

"I could probably find some time to co-write…"

"I mean a duet," Juliette said. Avery was surprised. They had never discussed recording a duet. Of course, he hadn't discussed recording his voice on much of anything since the disaster of his early days in Nashville. "Don't tell me you're actually speechless," Juliette said. "I never thought that would happen."

Avery forced himself to say something. "I'm sure if you want to do a duet, Luke or…"

"You have an incredible voice, Avery," Juliette said. "You know that."

"I just…"

"Are you afraid?" Juliette asked.

Avery thought about it. He had sung live plenty of times since his crash and burn with the label, but the idea of recording his voice did, in a sense, terrify him. "No," he said.

"You are so lying," Juliette said.

"Yeah," Avery said.

Juliette paused a moment and then asked, "Would you want to?"

Avery thought about that. Would he want to write, sing, and record a song with Juliette? There was the potential for all sorts of problems both professionally and personally, but there was also the potential for it to be really amazingly great. "Yeah," Avery said.

"Yeah?" Juliette said.

"Yeah," Avery said. "Let's do it."

3.

Avery took care of his production duties in the morning and sat down with Juliette to write the new song in the afternoon. Although in the past he had sometimes sung during their writing sessions for her songs to get across where he was going with the lyrics, it felt different to do that with the idea of singing those lyrics himself for real. The part of him that he had buried – that part that wanted to be a real recording artist – felt alive again, and that felt so damn good.

After an hour or so of debating song lyrics and guitar licks, Avery stretched and went into the kitchen. He looked in the mostly empty fridge for a few seconds and then grabbed a bottle of wine out of a cabinet.

"Avery!" Juliette shouted from the other room.

"What?" he said, as he filled two glasses with his favorite pinot noir.

"I've got a rhyme for the chorus!"

"I'll be right there!" Avery shouted back. He hoped this one was better than rhyming misty with whiskey. He picked up the glasses and carried them back to where she was sitting on the sofa.

"Listen to this: You had my name, you wore my ring; it was a game, the whole damn thing…"

"Yeah, that's good," Avery said. He held out one of the glasses.

Juliette looked at him. "We're hot on this," she said.

"Yeah," Avery said. "It's going to be great. But right now we're taking a break."

"I don't want to lose the momentum," Juliette said.

"I get that," Avery said, "but I have a present for you."

"I'll unwrap it later, I promise," Juliette said.

Avery smiled. "Not that one," he said. She held his gaze. "OK, not just that one," he said.

"You bought me something?" Juliette asked. She set down the notebook and pen she had been using. "Why would you do that?"

"Because we never had a proper engagement," Avery said. He set the wine glasses on the table and went to his jacket where it was thrown on a chair. He took out the small box he had picked up on his way home from the studio.

"We didn't need one," Juliette said. "We just wanted to be married."

"Yeah," Avery said. "I remember." He sat next to her. "But I have something I want to give you," he said. He showed her the box.

"Avery," Juliette said. "I don't need…"

"Yes, you do," Avery said. He opened the box and showed her the ring. The central diamond wasn't huge, only a few carats, surrounded by a circle of natural rubies that spread out along the band. He looked at Juliette and saw tears in her eyes. "If you hate it…"

"Shut up and put it on me," Juliette said. She held out her left hand, and he slipped the ring onto her ring finger above the wedding ring. She looked at it there for a moment and then put both hands on his face and kissed him. Avery quieted his thoughts and committed to the kiss, sliding his arms around her and drawing her close to him. After an extended moment of blissful physical interaction, Juliette broke off the kiss. "Thank you," she said, looking into his eyes. "Thank you for coming to Dallas. Thank you for not giving up on us – on me."

"Thank you for not having me thrown out of the hotel," Avery said.

"I'm serious," Juliette said.

"So am I," Avery said. "We hadn't talked in weeks, so I really had no idea how you would react to me being there."

"I never stopped missing you," Juliette said. "And I missed Cadence too. But I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to fix it. I was so lost in the album and the tour that I couldn't think of a way to…"

"It's OK," Avery said. "We fixed it."

"Yeah," Juliette said. "We did."

"Yeah," Avery said. "I want to thank you for pushing me to do this song. I've been… reluctant to record anything since…what happened the last time, which was a colossal screw up on my part. I was so blinded by the shot at stardom that I became someone I couldn't even recognize. And aside from physically destroying the evidence of that I had to mentally shut it down, lock it away, and bury it."

"And that brought you to my tour as a lowly roadie," Juliette said. "How long could you have possibly done that?"

"There really wasn't any plan to it," Avery said. "I just needed to do something physical to clear my head, but I still wanted to be around music. I couldn't let that go entirely."

"You know I was so angry at Deacon for ditching the show that night," Juliette said. "I didn't know what the hell to do about a guitar player. I just knew I needed someone immediately. And I thought these roadies – maybe one of them knows enough to make it through one show." Avery smiled. "I wish I could say I knew about you somehow, but really I just was thinking that I needed to make it through the night," Juliette said.

"I know," Avery said. "And I almost didn't say anything. I wasn't going to, but then I thought, she needs someone, and I can do it. I can fill in tonight."

"And then you got dragged into my media whirlwind," Juliette said.

"I wasn't dragged in," Avery said. "When I was there, I was there because I wanted to be there."

"And when you weren't there, I was the most alone I've ever been, and I have been alone," Juliette said.

"You never will be again," Avery said.

"I wish I could believe that," Juliette said. "I wish I could believe that I won't screw up again and drive you away."

"It hasn't been like that…"

"You know it has," Juliette said. "It's always been about me doing what I want to do and to hell with how that affects anyone else, including you and our daughter."

"It sure as hell hurts when you shut me out…"

"I'm sorry…"

"I'm not looking for apologies or sympathy," Avery said. "I know who you are. I know how we are…"

"But I don't want us to be like that," Juliette said. "I don't want to be the one who keeps breaking your heart…"

"Then don't be," Avery said.

"I'm not like you," Juliette said. "I'm not always that strong…"

"I'm not either," Avery said. "But together, Juliette, really, really together, there is nothing in this world that could be stronger than us." Juliette smiled. "What?" Avery asked.

"What if we were really, really, really together?" she asked.

"That would be good too," Avery said. They moved together into a passionate kiss, and then Avery's lips trailed down her neck. He undid the zipper on the front of her dress and pushed the material off her shoulders to continue the trail there.

And that was when Juliette's phone rang. "Crap," she said. She withdrew from Avery's embrace. "Don't move," she said, and she went to get the phone. Avery picked up one of the glasses of wine and took a swallow. "This better be good," Juliette said into the phone. She listened for a moment. "Yes, and what else? Yes, of course! Do I have to do everything? Let me know when it's done." She ended the call and tossed the phone on a chair. Then she went back over to Avery. "So where were we?" she asked.

"You were going to tell me what all that is about," Avery said. He held the other glass out to her, and after a moment she accepted it and sat on the sofa.

"It has to do with…"

"Jeff Fordham," Avery said. "Yes, and what else?"

"Very funny," Juliette said. "The lawyers are looking into the contract. Glenn thought it would be a good idea to update me on the fact that nothing has been accomplished yet."

"I thought Glenn was…"

"That was temporary," Juliette said.

"Of course," Avery said. "So what does Jeff have?"

"Are you sure that…"

"Yes," Avery said. "We're not going around that again."

Juliette smiled. "OK," she said. She sipped some wine and then set the glass down. "How would you feel about working with film?" she asked.

"Is this the same topic?" Avery asked.

Juliette laughed. "Yes," she said. "I set up a film crew to record for a tour DVD – performances and some behind the scenes stuff."

"Really?" Avery said. "Behind the scenes?"

"Shut up," Juliette said.

Avery laughed. "I just mean there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that wouldn't look so good on someone's living room TV," he said.

"It's obviously going to be edited – or that was my intention," Juliette said. "We would go through it and decide what would work…"

"We?" Avery said.

"Well, I would want you to give creative input if you wanted to," Juliette said.

"Yeah?" Avery said. "That's a little different from producing songs."

"If you don't think you can do it…"

"Hey, I didn't say that," Avery said.

"So you would want to?" Juliette asked.

"Sure," Avery said. "As long it doesn't involve working with Fordham."

"Well, that's the problem," Juliette said, picking up her glass again. "He says that according to the contract, the footage is under his control. That's what we have the lawyers working on. But if that doesn't work it may be necessary to sort of…"

"Work with Fordham," Avery said.

"Yeah, work with Jeff," Juliette said.

"No," Avery said.

"You'd rather that I just work with him myself?" Juliette said.

"Neither one of us should have anything to do with him," Avery said.

"So, I should just let him do whatever he wants with that film," Juliette said.

Avery was silent for a moment. Finally he said, "Can we cut to the end of this?"

"What?" Juliette asked.

"Arguing like this just wears me out," Avery said. "What's the point? What do you want me to say?"

Juliette stood up. "You know what, just forget it," she said. "I know you don't give a crap about this." She looked over at the notebook where she had been writing lyrics for their song. "It's probably better if we just don't collaborate," she said. She turned away.

"You really want to fight about Jeff Fordham so badly that you're going to pull the plug on our song?" Avery said.

"We would just wind up fighting about that and…"

"I would sure as hell rather fight about that than about this," Avery said.

"Well, you're not in charge of what we fight about," Juliette said, turning back to him. "We can't just schedule things around what you like and don't like."

"Why not?" Avery said. "It seems like if we are going to fight about everything, we should pick things that are at least worth fighting about."

"And my tour footage isn't worth fighting about," Juliette said.

Avery said nothing for a moment, not because he needed to think about that, just because he wanted to slow the pace of the argument. "I want to do the tour video, and I want to do the song," he said finally. "But I cannot be in a room with Jeff Fordham; that's a deal breaker."

Juliette was briefly silent, and then she said, "You want to do the tour video?"

"Yes," Avery said.

"OK," Juliette said. "Then we'll work it out."

"We will?" Avery said.

"Don't push it," Juliette said. She sat down next to him again. "So, we should order some food and get back to the song," she said.

"Yeah," Avery said, but his enthusiasm was gone.

"I'm sorry about what I said about collaborating," Juliette said. "That was…unfair."

"Yeah, it was," Avery said. "Maybe we should just take a break for tonight. We can get some dinner and some sleep, and just let it go for now. We can pick it up tomorrow."

"If you're upset about…"

"I'm not upset," Avery said. "I just feel burned out." Juliette looked at him. "I just don't feel like I have the motivation in me right now," he said.

"I bet I can think of a way to motivate you," Juliette said.

"Yeah?" Avery said. "How?"

"Like this," Juliette said, and she moved closer to him. Avery closed his eyes and took a breath. A moment later Juliette's lips were on his in a full, deep kiss. And yeah, Avery thought, maybe he could find that motivation after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Reconnecting: Part 4

By Morganperidot

1.

Avery decided to bring in another producer to assist in recording the vocals for his duet with Juliette. If he were the only one singing he would have done the producing himself, but Juliette was always a wild card. Should things go sideways somehow with the duet – which was a strong possibility – it would be a good idea to have someone else there in control of things professionally. So he brought in a colleague he respected, Tori Sanders, to take the wheel.

Juliette had offered her band to play on the music track, and Avery made use of her drummer, bass player, and rhythm guitar guy, while he took lead guitar. Tori sat in on that recording, which allowed Avery to really submerge himself in the music and open up the sound of his guitar to a fluid purity that made his soul soar. When he came out of the booth Tori was just shaking her head. "To quote Billy Joel," she said. "Man, what are you doing here?"

Avery laughed. "That's a long story," he said. "So, did it sound as good as it felt?"

"Better," Tori said with a smile. "You know, I've heard a thousand different guys play guitar, but I've never heard such a sustained honest tone like that. You are blessed, Barkley."

"Thanks," Avery said. "We'll see if I feel that way after I play this for Juliette."

"She would have to…"

"She's unpredictable," Avery said. "If something strikes her wrong, even some little thing, everything could go out the window. Which reminds me, when she's in here, don't engage with her. Pleasantries and small talk are fine, but go easy on any direction and criticism. Don't hide things from her if there are problems, but don't push her either."

"Is she really that volatile?" Tori asked.

"Let's just say it's best to treat her like the star she is," Avery said, "and she will perform at that level. If anything, you may need to pull me aside if I'm not matching that. I haven't recorded vocals in a long time, and I've never done it with Juliette. So let me know if I'm not holding up my end."

"I have a feeling you know what to do," Tori said.

"Yeah, and with the guitar that is all natural," Avery said. "I can play that anywhere. But the vocals – I haven't done lead in a while. I did a lot of trio stuff and trying to blend into the mix."

"Didn't you release a solo song a while back?" Tori asked.

"Yeah," Avery said, "before I burned up my solo career." At her questioning look, he just said, "That's a story for another time. I'm just saying I'm open to any guidance you have."

"Just sing like you played today," Tori said, holding out a USB flash drive with a copy of the recording.

Avery smiled and accepted it. "I'll give that a shot," he said.

2.

When Avery arrived home he found Juliette sitting on the floor with Cadence in her lap and a bunch of tour photos spread out around them. Avery walked over and kneeled down next to them. He kissed Juliette on the lips and Cadence on the top of the head. "So, what is all this?" he asked.

"Jeff wants a storyboard for the DVD," Juliette said. She picked up a notebook and handed it to him. There were a lot of scribbles, cross-outs, circles, and arrows on it, and Avery wasn't sure if it was something he was supposed to be able to decipher.

"If the goal is to make his tiny brain explode, this should do it," Avery said, handing it back to her. She glared at him, and Avery settled on the floor next to her. "So, Fordham is still involved."

"He's a pig," Juliette said.

"No argument here, other than going a lot stronger than that," Avery said.

"He wants signoff on the DVD concept," Juliette said, scooping up some of the pictures. Avery noticed that the on-stage shots were labeled with the relevant song and date.

"We can put something together," Avery said. He looked at the photos. "I take it we don't have the actual footage," he said.

"No, he has everything," Juliette said. She hugged Cadence, and Avery smiled.

"Not everything," he said.

"He won't let go," Juliette said. "The lawyers…"

"OK," Avery said, cutting her off before this became the issue of the night. "We'll deal with him. But first of all this sleepy girl needs to go to bed." He slid Cadence out of Juliette's arms and took the baby to the nursery where he laid her down to sleep.

Juliette stood in the doorway. "What happened with the music track for the duet?" she asked. "How did it turn out?"

Avery looked from his daughter to his wife. "It's amazing," he said.

"So, let's hear it then," Juliette said.

"Actually," Avery said, grasping her nearest hand with his, "let's have a big glass of red wine first." He led her out of the nursery and to the kitchen.

"If it's so amazing, why do you want to get me drunk?" Juliette asked.

"I don't," Avery said. "I just don't want you to be all wound up about Fordham when you listen to it. That SOB is going to get his, and he's not going to ruin anything else for us." Juliette just smiled, and Avery asked, "What?"

"You are so sexy," Juliette said.

"Yeah?" Avery said.

"Yeah," Juliette replied. "The only man I want to be wound up about is you." She stepped close, and Avery didn't need to think about whether he should follow the cues to kiss her. Their lips met tenderly and then passionately, with all the love of two lost souls that had somehow found one another and held on despite all the bumps and swerves in their road together.

Juliette slid her hands under his shirt, and Avery dismissed all thoughts of the music, wine, and Jeff Fordham. The only thought in his mind was of his wife. "I love you," he said.

Juliette smiled. "I love you, too," she said.

3.

Later Avery went back to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine, filled two glasses, and took them to the bedroom. Juliette was sprawled on their bed in nothing but a very short black teddy. "You're gorgeous," he said, handing her one of the glasses.

"Of course," Juliette said. She reached for the waistband of his jeans with her free hand. "You're overdressed," she said.

Avery smiled but moved away. "Enough stalling," he said. "I need you to listen to the duet track. I have time reserved tomorrow in case something needs to be redone…"

Juliette sat up. "I thought you said it was amazing," she said.

"It is…"

"Then you don't need that studio time, right?" Juliette said.

"Will you just listen to it?" Avery said, trying not to sound as frustrated as he felt. "I really want to know what you think."

"OK," Juliette said. "Put it on and then come over here."

Avery slid the USB drive into the bedroom sound system, booted up the track, and then went over to the bed to wrap his arms around Juliette. He kept the volume somewhat low because he didn't want to wake Cadence, but it was loud enough to appreciate the tone of the music. Juliette relaxed back against him, and he closed his eyes. The intro was full and fast, sliding down into a quieter bit for the verse. He could hear the integrity of each instrument and silently thanked Tory for her help with that. And then came the swirl of the guitar into the chorus that tore a hole in the fabric of the universe.

"God," Juliette whispered. Avery felt that response in his soul, and he smiled. It really did sound amazing, and his only concern was that the power of the music might detract from the vocals. He listened as the music went on into the second verse track, then the second chorus, then the bridge, with the guitar leading the way all the way through, only to slide down and play out in a quiet wail. Avery let go of the breath he was holding and waited for his wife to speak. "That is really hot," she said. She turned and looked at him. "You know, that night, I always think what if a million things had happened differently…"

"But they didn't," Avery said. "You and I were on a cosmic collision course."

Juliette smiled. "It seems that way," she said, "from that first moment we literally collided at the Opry."

"Yeah, and all the ups and downs since," Avery said. He kissed her lips softly. "So, the track seems OK?" he asked.

"Except for…" Here it comes, Avery thought. "The rest of those instruments," she said.

She had said it so seriously that for a moment he wasn't sure how to interpret it. "Are you being serious?" Avery asked finally.

"Of course," Juliette said. "We don't need all that clutter on the song. It would be really great with just a tambourine and a triangle…and maybe a bit of cowbell."

Avery smiled. "Funny," he said. "So, you like it?"

"I like champagne and jewelry and big crowds chanting my name," Juliette said. "This I love, like I love you." She grabbed his face and drew him into a long deep kiss.

"I was just thinking about the tempo shift into the bridge," Avery said when his lips were free again. Juliette rolled her eyes. "Seriously," Avery said. "Maybe that should come a little earlier…"

"It's perfect, Avery," Juliette said. "The tempo and the rawness and the sexuality…"

"It's just that I have that time booked for tomorrow to make adjustments," Avery said.

"You don't need it," Juliette said. "It's perfect the way it is. Don't mess it up."

Avery laughed. "OK," he said. "It felt good, and Tori liked it…"

"Who's Tori?" Juliette asked.

"Remember I told you I was bringing in another producer?" Avery said. "She told me…"

"What?" Juliette said. She moved back from him.

Avery didn't understand her reaction. "I was just going to say that she…"

"This producer is a woman?" Juliette said.

"You have a problem with female producers?" Avery asked.

Juliette got off the bed. "Don't play dumb with me, Avery Barkley," she said.

"I'm clearly not playing, because I have no idea what the problem is," he said.

"Then why did you hide this woman from me?" Juliette asked. Avery just stared at her for a moment. He was surprised that he could still be shocked by her insecurity, but it truly amazed him that she didn't trust him. He could feel his anger rising to the surface, and rather than express that he got off the bed, grabbed his wine glass, and walked out of the room. He went to the kitchen and refilled the glass. "Answer the question," Juliette said when she arrived there as well.

Avery drank some wine and then set down the glass and looked at her. "No," he said.

"I'm not kidding, Avery," Juliette said.

"I don't care," Avery said.

"Fine," Juliette said. "Then you can forget about the duet."

"Thank God," Avery said.

He saw the shock register on Juliette's face before she could hide it. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means thank God I don't have to deal with the humiliation of some public blow up in my place of business, which is guaranteed to happen if that duet ever happened," Avery said. He finished off the glass the wine, well aware that he was imploding something that he really wanted by saying what he'd said.

"You can be a real bastard," Juliette said. She turned and walked back to the bedroom, where she slammed the door.

Avery was about to refill his glass again when he heard Cadence start crying. He set down the glass and went to check on his daughter.

4.

Later, Avery found the drive with the duet track on the floor in the hallway outside the bedroom. He picked it up and threw it in the garbage in the kitchen. Then he ordered a pizza.

While he waited for the pizza to come, he picked up the tour photos and started putting them in a reasonable order. He flipped the page on Juliette's notes and took some of his own, ignoring his annoyance at having to do anything by the order of Jeff Fordham.

When the pizza came Avery took a couple slices over to the sofa by the TV and watched some old sitcoms while he ate and drank more wine. He hadn't intended to fall asleep, but he realized he had when he woke an hour or so later to the feeling of a warm body beside him and a blanket over them. Avery felt the pain in his heart loosen, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry," Juliette said softly.

Avery put his arms around her and drew her closer to him. "Thank you," he said. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he said. "I only want to be with you."

"I know," Juliette said. "I just get scared sometimes that you'll get sick of all the crap…"

"I'm yours," Avery said. "That's what I want."

"What you said about recording the duet…"

"I shouldn't have said that," Avery said.

"It's true, though," Juliette said. "If we…"

"When we," Avery said.

"No…"

"Yes," Avery said. "We're doing it. If you want Tori out, she's out. I'll get someone else."

Juliette was silent, and Avery waited it out. "You brought her in because she's good?" she asked finally.

"Yes," Avery said.

"Then we'll keep her," Juliette said. "We want the best."

"Yes, we do," Avery said. He had another thought, and he considered not bringing it up. But he knew it was better not to ignore their problems, even if it wrecked a nice moment. "Do you really not trust me?" he asked.

Juliette turned toward him. "Avery…"

"Just tell me the truth," Avery said. "Do you think I would cheat on you? Do you think I would sleep with another woman?"

"I think…you might see someone at some point who isn't as much trouble as I am," Juliette said.

"So, this isn't about me cheating," Avery said. "This is about me leaving."

"I'm just so afraid I'll lose you somehow," Juliette said.

"We're family now," Avery said. "You aren't going to lose me."

"Avery…"

He drew Juliette closer to him and kissed her deeply. "Believe it, OK?" he said. "As long as you want me here, I'll be here."

Juliette smiled. "OK," she said. Cadence started to cry, and Avery shifted to get up. "I've got it," she said. "You just get pizza and wine and keep the bed warm."

Avery smiled. "OK," he said.


End file.
